Expert: James Yee - 5/18/2009

Question
QUESTION: Hello Mr Yee, I bought a humidor a few months ago and I have some minor problems with the relative humidity temperature. I seasoned the wood 5-6 times (the proper way; with distilled water, the sponge on the plastic for 24 hours then repeating it without leaving the sponge inside) to make sure that it is not the cause of the problem. I also have a digital hygrometer in the humidor so I know i am getting proper readings.  The problem is that every time I season the wood It would be at 75 degrees for 2 days then I put my cigars inside, it gradually goes down to 67 after a week and after 10 days its at 62-63 and it stays there. I know It shouldn't go below 65 so I get worried and put my cigars in the tubes and redo it so it can be OK for another 10 days.
How can I make sure it just stays stable at 65-75 % ?

(my humidor has a 25-30 cigar capacity and I currently only have 5 cigars in the humidor. Maybe If the humidor is filled this problem won't happen?)

Thank you for your time

ANSWER: Hi Fab,

I don't understand your question, are you having trouble with the humidor humidity or temperature?

For humidor temperature, you only need to prevent the temperature from rising above 75 degrees Fahrenheit.  62-63 degrees Fahrenheit won't harm your cigars at all and if you live in hot region, 63 degrees in your humidor will be fine.  Once the temperature is 75 degrees or higher, tobacco beetle eggs in your cigars can incubate, hatch and ruin your cigars.  If the temperature in your humidor is 75 degrees or higher, move your humidor to the coolest room in your home or keep the humidor in an air-conditioned room.  

If you're having a problem with humidity, salt test your digital hygrometer.  Even though digital hygrometers are accurate and preset by the manufacturer, some units still need to be tested for accuracy and configured to ensure that it's not defective.  Salt test your hygrometer and if the humidity reading is 75%, your hygrometer is working perfectly.  If the humidity reading does not read 75% during the salt test, calibrate the hygrometer so that it does read 75%.  Your hygrometer is now calibrated.  (If you need salt-test directions, let me know and I will be happy to re-post it for you.)

If your hygrometer is already working properly, check your humidification device.  Does it feel dry?  If yes, you may want to upgrade your humdification device to a larger size.  It's possible that your humidification device is too small and after 10 days, has already lost a lot of moisture.  If your humidification device does feel dry every 10-14 days, you can just refill it with more distilled water instead of buying a larger humidification device.  A larger humidifier however, will require less frequent refills.

Hopes this helps.  If you have any more questions, please feel free to just ask and I will be happy to help.

Regards,
James

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Hello Mr. Yee, I was only talking about the relative humidity, but if you say that 62-63 degrees will not harm it than I will leave it as is.

For my humidification device, mine is a small one resembles this one:
http://www.graywolf-enterprises.com/images/rosewood20opn.jpg

How do I know if it feels dry ?
Because when I refill it, in the instructions it says to wipe it down with a cloth so it doesn't drip on the cigars.. I can't really tell a difference between the moment I wipe it down and 10 days later.

Also, in my previous message, I was wondering if the quantity of cigars that are in my humidor might have something to do with the temperature going down quickly ?
Like if I only have 5 cigars in a 25 capacity humidor, maybe the moisture is going to those 5 only and thus the remaining goes to the wood ? (since in my case there's more wood than cigar)

Thank you for your time.  

Answer
Hi Fab,

For your humidification device, you should be able to unscrew the black plastic housing in half.  Once you do this, the foam core should be visible and removeable and you can refill the humidifer more easily now.  Just open the housing and touch the foam core.  Does it still feel saturated with water or does it feel a bit dry?  If it feels dry, simply add more distilled water.  The humidification device should be fully saturated with distilled water but not drip.  If it does drip, let the humidification device sit upside down over a bowl or dish for a few minutes so that the excess water can drip out.  When the humidifier stops dripping water, you can safely put it back into your humidor.

If the foam core still feels wet, then you will need to make sure your hygrometer is accurate.  If your hygrometer is working properly, then your humidor is most likely defective and leaking humidity.  Check the corner joints of your humidor as well as your humidor lid to make sure that there are no cracks or gaps in the wood that would let humidity to escape.

Also, the quantity of cigars in your humidor will not affect your humidor's temperature or humidity level.  The only time humidity would decrease in a humidor is if the humidification device is dry or the humidor is leaking humidity.

Hopes this helps.  Again, if you have any more questions, please feel free to just ask.

Regards,
James